Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Verizon confirmed plans to commercially launch its Voice over LTE service across its nationwide network later this year. A specific launch date was not specified.

From the beginning, Verizon’s VoLTE service will offer an HD Voice experience using the AMR-wideband standard. The company said it will have a robust line-up of VoLTE-enabled smartphones available when the service launches. A software upgrade will also be available for certain other smartphones.

Verizon’s VoLTE will also offer video calling options, including making and receiving video calls directly from contact lists. As part of the VoLTE video calling experience, customers have the ability to change their calls instantly from voice-only to voice and video. The rollout also sets the stage for future enhancements through Rich Communications Services (RCS), which enable things like including large file transfer, more robust group messaging, and more location sharing.